Remco Evenepoel returns at the start of his favourite race, supported by a strong team.
The oldest Monument in the world, created in 1892, is set to run another episode this weekend, when a relentless up-and-down parcours venturing into the heart of the Ardennes will await the peloton. This year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège – the 111th in history – consists of eleven climbs, making for an elevation gain of almost 4400 meters, which are sure to test the riders vying for a good result at the end of Sunday’s 252 kilometers.
Côte de la Redoute, Côte des Forges and Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, all of them featuring some nasty double-digit gradients, are the final three climbs of “La Doyenne”, stacked inside the last 36 kilometers, and this combination promises to be again decisive in the outcome.
Victorious in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in back-to-back years, Remco Evenepoel headlines Soudal Quick-Step’s squad for the fourth Monument of the season. The double Olympic Champion, who missed last year’s race due to injury, will be joined by Gil Gelders, Maximilian Schachmann – third at the 2019 edition – Pieter Serry, Ilan Van Wilder, Mauri Vansevenant, and Louis Vervaeke.
“We have so many beautiful memories from this race and we hope to create some more on Sunday, but we know it will be difficult, because at the end of the day it’s a Monument, and one with a very hard course. The team that will be at the start is a strong one and goes there with plenty of motivation and a strong morale after our most recent results in the Ardennes. This makes us really confident we can fight for a good result”, said sports director Klaas Lodewyck.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
